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I have a young wisteria plant in a large wooden sided container in my sunken courtyard. It should get pretty good sun on the wall it's climbing.

Most wisteria info seems to say you can't grow ANYTHING underneath them as it will strangle them. How about heather?

If not any recommendations for ground cover that will grow under wisteria in a container?

Thanks.

Ossie
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2 Answers2

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I'm going to give a different opinion - wisteria in a tub will be a problem for anything else, particularly another shrub, trying to grow in the same tub, not because of light levels, but because of root room. The wisteria will take up all the available space and choke out anything trying to grow there. I'd look for something decorative to put on top of the soil - pebbles, chippings, whatever, or use something like Ajuga reptans (fine in shade), one of the prettier variegated leaf ones, as ground cover in the meantime.

Bamboo
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  • So this Ajuga reptans would be better off than heather because it has rhizomes rather than roots? Would even something very shallow rooting get choked out? – Ossie Mar 15 '14 at 13:22
  • @WorldOfProper: yes, eventually, it will be choked out, but you'll get away with it for a while - its roots only go down an inch or so. I'd go for some nice pebbles or cobbles myself, but Ajuga is an option if you prefer it. – Bamboo Mar 15 '14 at 13:47
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Heather is a very low-growing and well behaved sub-shrub. It doesn't spread or climb, so I think that as long as you don't crowd the pot the wisteria is in with too many of them, and make sure the wisteria still gets plenty of water, then it should be fine.

Some other ideas for ground cover under the wisteria, since it gets plenty of sun, might be thyme, or trailing rosemary, or short and spreading annual flowers like petunias.

TeresaMcgH
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  • The surface of the container is about one foot by three foot. Do you think I should put in a few heather plants and then cover the rest with bark or something? – Ossie Mar 14 '14 at 12:33
  • There isn't a great deal of sun at the base, rather the wiseria gets sun higher up. – Ossie Mar 14 '14 at 12:33